Entertainment

Nintendo Mulling Mobile Apps as Part of Recovery Plan

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata discusses the company's business strategy in Tokyo on Jan. 30. Iwata will slash his salary in half after announcing a 30% dive in 9-month profit on weak demand for its new Wii U video game console.

Nintendo is considering mobile apps as part of a way to spur recovery after a slump in Wii U sales — but that doesn't mean you'll be able to play Mario games on your smartphone anytime soon.

In a presentation to Nintendo investors on Wednesday, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said the company is looking to build relationships with its customers through "smart devices" instead of letting the customer relationship remain walled off on each console.

In the past, Nintendo's online IDs for customers have been limited to their consoles, such as the Wii, Wii U, 3DS or DS handhelds. Now, Iwata said, the company is trying to connect all the devices, as well as continue that relationship with consumers on their mobile devices. This cloud connection behind a unified identity is something that companies such as Microsoft, Sony and Apple have already figured out — so Nintendo is playing catch-up.

Iwata has appointed a team of developers to focus strictly on mobile, whom he claims will have total creative freedom.

"In the current environment surrounding smart devices, we feel that we will not be able to gain the support of many consumers unless we are able to provide something truly valuable that is unique to Nintendo," Iwata said. "Accordingly, I have not given any restrictions to the development team, even not ruling out the possibility of making games or using our game characters."

Iwata reiterated that if developers decided to make mobile games, it would not just equate to porting games to the smartphone.

"Many people say that releasing Nintendo’s software assets for smart devices would expand our business," Iwata added. "However, we believe that we cannot show our strength as an integrated hardware-software business in this field, and therefore it would difficult to continue the same scale of business in the medium- to long-term."

Wii U sales were much lower than forecast, as only 2.8 million units were sold in 2013. By comparison, the newly released Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles both outsold the Wii U in November and December 2013 alone.

Iwata reportedly is taking a six-month pay cut as Nintendo tries to figure out a new strategy.

The presentation also mentioned possibly using Nintendo's highly recognizable characters for broader licensing purposes. Iwata said the company was also considering a program to reward loyal customers, as an incentive to buy more by lowering purchase prices of games after a certain point.

"Based on our account system, if we can offer flexible price points to consumers who meet certain conditions, we can create a situation where these consumers can enjoy our software at cheaper price points when they purchase more," Iwata said.

BONUS: The 10 Most Beautiful Mobile Games

Beautiful Mobile Games

1. Dead Runner

You know that nightmare where you're running through the woods, being chased by some unseen terror? That's pretty much Dead Runner. The hauntingly beautiful landscape provides the perfect backdrop.

2. Incredipede

Meet Quozzle, an incredipede -- basically an eyeball that can grow various forms of limbs -- who's on a quest to save her sisters. While the premise is bizarre, the illustrations are beautiful. Inspired by medieval woodcuts and 1700s botany texts from the Age of Discovery, the game is so beautiful it'll be hard to tear your eyes away.

3. Limbo

Another console game-turned-mobile, Limbo has long been hailed as a gaming work of art, and pioneered the popular style of black silhouettes with light or colored backgrounds. The game is at the same time creepy and beautiful, with unexpected enemies lurking around every corner, waiting to bring about gruesome deaths.

4. Machinarium

Machinarium is a point-and-click adventure game that follows an exiled robot named Josef, who is attempting to return to the city of Machinarium to rescue his robot beloved (who was kidnapped by a mafia-esque organization called the Black Cap Brotherhood). To do so, Josef has to solve a series of puzzles. But the real beauty of the game is the detail in the hand-drawn illustrations.

5. Night Sky

6. Osmos

The premise of Osmos is simple: You're a galactic mote. Eat smaller organisms to grow and thrive, and watch out for larger organisms that are trying to eat you. What makes this game special is the beautiful colors.

8. The Walking Dead

Based on the graphic novels that inspired the record-breaking television series, The Walking Dead surrounds a new group of characters in the same zombie-infested world. While the game is already unique for its focus on story and characterization rather than puzzles and shooting, the comic-like illustrations pay homage to the series' roots in a gorgeous way.

10. Year Walk

This Swedish game, which is based on an old man's walk though the woods to search for omens for the coming year, is one of the most creatively original games we've played on mobile. Year Walk may be a little trippy, and it may freak us out just a tad, and we may not even fully understand it, but boy, is it friggin' pretty.

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